Living as an Avengers' Daughter
by JessieHulk98
Summary: Ashlee Schwarz was living the good life in LA. That was until her mom died in an accident. Now Ashlee is off to the other side of the country to find her father, Tony Stark, but he has no idea she exists. Ashlee's torn between California and New York. Her home, and the place where her father lives. Oh, and then there's that hot Super Soldier guy.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

Nineteen years ago, during Tony Stark's playboy days, he had a fling with a woman called Michelle. Michelle was beautiful, but she was also a girl that knew how and loved to party. Something Tony couldn't say no to back in the day.

A few weeks later, Michelle had gotten hold of Tony's details and sent him a letter, mentioning that the man had gotten her pregnant and she was going to keep the baby. Tony, being Tony, panicked. He didn't know what to do, and so, he did what any other rich man did. He told her to keep quiet and he would pay Michelle each month for as long as the child was alive.

This was easy for both sides. Michelle had an income every month, she didn't really have to go to work, so she never did, and Tony kept it from the world that he had a daughter. All was good really, until things started to heat up with the Avengers. There was no doubt though, that Ashlee, Tony's daughter, actually knew who her father was. Michelle did mention in the letter that she wasn't going to hide the truth from her daughter, and that Ashlee deserved to know what a 'jerk' her father was.

Upon finding out about who her father was, Ashlee had an obsessive phase, when she was twelve, in which she had googled everything about her father. From the news reports about a new suit that her father invented to reports about him joining this new superhero team, Avengers. After that, Ashlee lost interest in him. From reading those reports and listening to the news for any mention of him, Ashlee put the pieces together: her father didn't want her in his life. Even worse, it seemed to Ashlee that her father didn't even know that she existed. Every child's dream.

And she wasn't wrong. Tony had indeed forgotten that she even existed. After a while of having sent the child payments to Michelle, Tony wanted to move on and forget about the one night that could possibly destroy his name. So, he set up automatic payments with JARVIS every month. He could always afford the monthly bill anyway, so it was just another few lines in his bill each month that he never bothered to look at. Why would Tony care for where his money goes anyway for as long as he has enough money to buy a new car whenever he wanted?

Yet, Ashlee still wanted to meet her father. After all, they were blood related and Ashlee just wanted to see what he was like in person. What could possibly go wrong?

Even though the interest was never really there after she realised that Tony didn't want to meet her, part of her really wanted to meet him. Just like any other child who has had no experience with one parent. The thought was always there to meet her father. The money was there too, to track him down, but Ashlee didn't want to track him down before, worrying that she would get a horrible response from Tony and that she'll forever carry around the feeling of never being able to fit into a world with her father.

So, what could possibly go wrong?


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: T** he weekly updates will start on the 11th March and will be posted every Sunday.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

* * *

As I was just about to get into bed the night before, I heard sirens coming closer and closer down the street. I didn't think twice about it until I saw the lights continuously flashing through my window, lighting my room up in red and blue flickers. With worried thoughts, I headed back down the stairs to see somebody had been placed on a stretcher, surrounded by paramedics.

"What's going on?" I heard myself say aloud, walking towards the stretcher. It really wasn't any of my business to see who had done what, but curiosity had gotten the better of me. Little did I know though, the person laying on the stretcher was my mother. I couldn't see though as her face was covered in blood.

"This whacko party chick got way too drunk and fell into the pool, hitting her head. It was awesome!" I heard some guy shout from behind me, making me look around at the people surrounding me. At the words 'party chick', only one woman came to mind. My mother.

It was no surprise that my mom liked to drink one too many beers at every party she ever went to. No joke, I'm pretty sure she was close to making it into the Guinness World Records book for being able to drink the most beers within a certain amount of time.

"It's your mother," a woman steps up beside me, resting her arm around my neck. I didn't have to think twice about who it was as a heavy stench of alcohol came my way. Rose.

"Wait, what?" I asked her in confusion, looking at the drunk lady by my side. Rose was my mother's best friend and criminal buddy. The two of them were always off, doing stupid things together while I was stuck at home. I had to fend for myself, but I'll get into that later. Anyways, Rose and mom were always out together.

I was standing in the hallway and was about to talk to the paramedics, but they had already rolled the stretcher out onto the front lawn and towards their vehicle. I shrugged off Rose's arm from my shoulders and ran out to the ambulance. I needed to see who was on that stretcher. It couldn't have been my mother. It just couldn't have been.

"Miss, you can't go near," a man stopped me with his hands on my shoulders, stopping me just feet away from the vehicle.

"No, no. You have to let me see her! I think that's my mother!" I shouted at the man, trying to free myself of his grip, but without any luck.

"Just calm down then," he replied. All I could do was scoff. How could I have possibly calmed down in such a situation?! If that was my mother on that stretcher, I had to know!

"Do _not_ tell me to calm down," I spat at him before finally releasing myself from his grip and jumping onto the edge of the ambulance, looking at the woman on the stretcher. "No," I whispered, putting a hand to my mouth as I notice the butterfly tattoo on the woman's neck. This was definitely my mother.

"Miss, I need you to - "

"Don't tell me to get out," I scowled as I sat down on the seats. "That is my mother and I am coming with you." I could tell that the paramedics weren't all that pleased with my behaviour, but I couldn't have cared less. Even though my mom and I weren't on the best terms, she was still my mother and I knew I had to be there for her. She looked terrible, and I was much better company than Rose could've ever been. That and I wouldn't have any alcohol with me, so she couldn't have gotten herself into any trouble at the hospital.

"Even if you are her daughter, I need you out of this vehicle. We need all the room we can get if we are to revive your mother!" A paramedic yelled at me, grabbing my arm and gently pushing me towards the exit. Ugh.

"Okay, fine!" I groaned, climbing out of the ambulance and stepping away to let them do their job. Seconds later, the doors closed, and they drove off.

"C'mon, I'll take you to the hospital," Rose stepped up beside me again, obviously too drunk to remember that I hated her guts. There was nothing good about the tall, blonde, skinny as a stick woman. Her attitude was bad, she was always drunk and had this bad habit of smoking inside of the house. Nobody likes a house that stinks of smoke.

"No thanks, I can drive myself," I rolled my eyes at her, turning on my heels and heading back into the house.

Wasting no time, I got my keys, a pair of shoes and a jacket, heading to the hospital in my Suzuki. With the money from my father, I had enough cash to buy myself the car I wanted. I mean, I had to force the money out of my mom and claim that the money was technically mine since my father was paying for me, so it was a fight to get the car, but I got it, and I certainly don't regret it.

The hospital was no more than a ten-minute drive thankfully. That meant there was really no excuse for them to not save my mom. How wrong I was.

Not long after, I was sitting in the waiting room with Rose. Great. All she was wearing was her bikini from before. I would have objected, but I guess I didn't really have that much of a choice of company. I would want to be there too for my best friend if she ever ended up in hospital, but I knew that Lily wasn't stupid enough to do something life endangering. If anything, the bet was on me as people thought my mother's behaviour would one day rub off on me.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Rose muttered under her breath, staring at the coffee cup in her hands. I suppose she said it more to herself than to me, we'll never know though since that was the last night I saw Rose. "Are you hungry?" She asked, turning to face me. Ugh. So she did know I was sitting there.

With a shake of my head, I decided to block Rose out even though I was starving. I hadn't eaten anything since lunch because mom's friends had come over early and I didn't want to get caught with them, so I didn't need Rose wrecking the night even more for me. Sure, it was already at a low, but there was no doubt that if she tried, Rose could easily make the night worse.

"Ashlee Schwarz?" I heard a man then call my name from the side of the waiting room, instantly grabbing my attention. "Please follow me." Without replying, I got up and walked straight towards the doctor, Rose on my heels.

The man led us to a small room and let us ladies walk in first before he followed and closed the door, heading to the table that was in the middle of the room and sitting down. He then motioned for us to sit down at the opposite side of the table. Rose and I obliged. It was weird though that he didn't ask who Rose was, but then again, I wasn't one of those kids that looked their age. I looked younger, and so he must've thought Rose was looking after me. "Ashlee, do you have any relatives in the area?"

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. What a weird way to start a conversation about how my mother was doing fine.

"Ashlee, I have some bad news and you might have to stay with your other relatives," he then continued, glancing at Rose. Ah, there it is again. The thought of Rose being related to me. Ew.

"What bad news?" I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table. Why can't he just spit the bad news out? Surely it couldn't have been that bad. Did my mother have food poisoning? Was she in a coma? C'mon, Doc, just spit it out. What could possibly go wrong with my mother? She could hold her alcohol, maybe a coma was the worst thing that could've happened to her.

And yet, I should've seen it all coming.

I sat in the hospital waiting room an hour later as I tried to comprehend what the doctor just told Rose and I. Apparently, they tried everything they could to save her life, but she was a lost cause as soon as she came into the hospital. I honestly didn't think that the night could've gotten any worse, that the doctor was going to tell me that my mother had slipped into a coma, but no. She was dead. My mother was dead. As in, 'no longer among the living' dead.

Rose didn't stick around though, no. As soon as the doctor said the words, she got up and left as if the building was on fire. I had never seen her leave a room so quickly like I did that night. She left me all by myself to let me deal with the news of my dead mother by myself. How very thoughtful of the woman.

I understood at that moment why the doctor had asked if I had any relatives in the area. Where could I possibly spend the rest of the day and or week? I mean, I was old enough to stay at the house on my own, but it would be turned into a crime scene, so I couldn't really go back there. Staying with Lily would've been an option, but my 22-year-old best friend was spending her days at college, surrounding herself with college boys. I couldn't possibly ask her to stay at hers or even at her parents' house. It slowly dawned on me then that I had no place to go, except to sleep in my car.

At that moment, something from the TV in the waiting room caught my attention.

 _Iron Man came to the rescue today as Spider-Man struggled to save a ferry that had somehow been split into two. More details to come._

Iron Man. That's all the TV had to say to get me off the chair and heading back outside to my car, my plan rushing to my brain.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the late update! I'm rewriting the story basically and I moved countries so it's hard to keep this all balanced at the moment, but it's here now so enjoy! :)

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

* * *

I found myself in my car, waiting for my phone to load the webpage I was trying to look at. Years ago, Tony Stark had released his address publicly so that he could face off the Mandarin. With today's technology, there was no doubt I wouldn't have trouble finding it, but now you're probably asking why I want Tony's address. Well, simple. That man is my father. At least, that's what my mother told me years and years ago. My child self didn't want to believe her at the time since I didn't show any signs of being related to either of them, but she somehow convinced me that he was, in fact, my father.

"C'mon you stupid thing," I mutter to my phone as it was taking it's time to load. With a sigh, I lean my head back against the head rest. This was crazy. I was searching for a man that probably didn't even know I existed. Who does that?

Looking back down at my phone, I see that the page has finally loading. Clicking on the first entry, I find the address within seconds, but there was a problem. The website was stating that Tony's house had been destroyed shortly after having announced his address to the public eye. Somehow, that didn't surprise me at all.

With a sigh, I go back to the search page and think of what to search. How could I possibly find where Tony was staying? Staring at the page, I blankly type in _Avengers residence_. It's a long shot, but you only ever get answers if you search for something. Seconds later, more results come up on the Avengers, and even an address comes up. Turns out, the Avengers have their own tower in the midst of New York City.

Without further ado, I go onto the airport's webpage to check for flight tickets. If geography had taught me anything, it was that New York was too far away to drive to. Taking a plane would be so much easier. I have the money anyway to get a plane ticket, and it shouldn't set me too far back either with renting a car.

 ***SIX HOURS LATER***

Landing at JFK was something I had never thought I'd be doing. I honestly never imagined throughout my entire life that I would ever leave California. I loved my state too much to go and check out other states.

Now all I had to do was find a way to get to the tower. I could use public transport, but who does that these days? Sadly, I was too young to rent a car, so I was left with one choice. Uber.

Without wasting any more time I sent out my Uber request. I had a ride pretty quickly, but then again, it was New York. I'm sure there's tons of drivers around looking for a quick side job.

As soon as the Uber driver pulled up on the curb, I waste no time in getting out of the car. The drive was shorter than I expected. Either that or the tower wasn't that far from JFK. Well, I was here now, staring up at the tower. It seemed like the tallest here in New York, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. The Avengers had money, so they probably aimed for the tallest tower in the city, just to stick out.

Gathering my confidence, I walk up to the double doors leading into the building and stride straight into the lobby. My breath catches in my throat as I look around. Mostly everything looked way too good for what was pictured on the outside of the building. Everything looked modern. From the paintings on the walls to even the pots the plants were in.

"Can I help you, Miss?" I hear a woman speak as I turn my attention to the lobby desk. Of course. If I hadn't known better, I would've easily guessed that she would've been blonde.

"Um, maybe. Depends. I'm looking for Tony Stark," I walk over to the desk, resting my hands on it. The woman looked intimidating in her grey suit, that was, if you were the kind to easily become intimidated by one. That wasn't me. I knew people couldn't be mean or intimidating to one unless they had plans to bring you down.

"Do you have an appointment with him?" The woman raises an eyebrow, looking down at her computer screen. Oh, yeah. Appointment. That probably would've been a smart thing to do before coming here.

"I, erm, no," I reply sheepishly with a shrug. If I had known that it would've been smarter to make an appointment with a rich man, I would've done that.

"Sorry, Mr. Stark only goes by appointments nowadays," she looks back up at me with a weak smile on her face. The smile doesn't reach her eyes. Seems like I'm not welcome here.

"Because of what happened in Malibu? Yeah, that's understandable. Look, I just want to have a quick word with him, that's all," I sigh, glancing around the lobby for no particular reason before setting my eyes back on her. I could tell her that I was his daughter, but there was no way on earth that that could possibly go down well. There would be no doubt that she would call security on me.

"I can't do that."

A flash of anger crosses her face as she looks back down at her screen, clicking here and there. I wonder if she's clicking randomly to make it look like she's doing something else.

"Alright, fine. When's the next free appointment?" I keep my eyes on her, hoping that - just maybe - I could intimidate her into giving me an appointment with Tony right this second.

"Let me look," she rolls her eyes, looking across the screen. Sighing, I lean against the counter. This was probably going to get me nowhere. The woman probably just thought I was just a crazed fan, trying to get to Tony.

If there was anything special about Tony Stark, it was that he probably never would say 'yes' to an appointment labelled 'crazed fan.'

"I can get you in this afternoon, but that's about it," the lady looks up at me, her eyes clearly stating that she didn't want me to agree to the appointment. Well, too bad for her.

"I'll take it," I reply with a coy smile. With a sigh, she reluctantly grabs a piece of paper and writes down the time before handing it to me. "Thank you," I say before she can say anything else, then head out of the building. I didn't want to stay in her bubble any longer. If I did, I probably would've ended up saying something harsh and that would've had me out of the building without an appointment fast enough to give me whiplash. Oh well.

The piece of paper says that I can meet Tony in about three hours. Alright. I was hoping for something a little closer, but I guess I can handle three hours in New York. It's a big city anyway. I'm sure there's lots of things for me to do around here that will make those three hours breeze by. So with that, I turn on my heel and start walking down the street. I wonder if it will be easy to navigate around the city without a map since I don't know when I can get my phone to a charger. I was stupid enough to leave that behind and my phone is already treading shallow waters. I'd be amazed if it lasts until tonight.

Looking around, I try to remember my surroundings. That would be my only way to find my way back to the tower, but at the same time I try to not look like too much of a tourist as I take in everything around me. New York really is a beautiful city. Even prettier in person than what one sees on the big screen.

It isn't long before I find myself standing in the middle of Times Square. Every building surrounding me has large screens on them, showing off the latest movies or Broadway shows and whatnot. Google Images did not do this place justice. There was no way a picture could possibly show off just how amazing Times Square is.

Smiling, I head into a café and sit down. It was pretty busy in the place. There were barely any free tables, but I manage to get one by the window. Why walk around New York when you can just sit down and enjoy a coffee while watching the rest of the tourists and native New Yorkers walk by? I always found it interesting to watch people go along with their own business. There's something intriguing about guessing who's going where and what they're about to do. Especially in a big city like this. There are so many options as to where the lady in the pant suit is headed or what that group of children decide to head to next. So many possibilities.

"Miss, are you ready to order?" The waiter comes up to me, pulling me away from staring out the window.

"Ah, sure. I'll just have an iced cappuccino, thanks," I say up at him, smiling as he nods then walks off again. I have to make sure I don't go spending all of my money on stuff I don't really need. I only brought so much with me, and I'm not really in the mood to head to the bank right now.

On that thought, I take out my purse and have a look inside, counting the bills. Sighing, I close it up again and look back out the window. I should have enough money to get me back home if Tony does end up rejecting me. I mean, I don't want to be rejected, but there's nothing I can do if he doesn't believe me. That'll just mean that I'll have to go back to my life in Los Angeles and try to find my way from there.

"Here you go, miss," the waiter comes back, placing my drink on the table. Wow. Talk about fast service in this café.

"Thank you," I smile at him again before he walks off to tend to the other customers. I glance down at the mug that's filled to the brim with iced cappuccino. Usually I would go for a coffee, but with this beautiful weather, nothing is better than a cold drink.

As I go back to looking out the window, I slowly take sips of my drink, watching the pedestrians walk by.

A short while later, the time has finally arrived. I've paid for my drink and I've returned to the streets, heading back to the Avengers Tower. It's kind of weird that Tony would have appointments still at the Avengers Tower since it's no longer his personal tower. I suppose the man still needs a place to do his business. Even if he's not working with weapons anymore.

The walk back to the tower doesn't take me long. I smile at the receptionist and tell her I'm here for the appointment.

"I was hoping you weren't going to come back," the woman glances up at me with a scowl before turning her attention back to her computer. "I'll let him know you're here, go to floor four and wait in the lounge room. Someone will then come and lead you to his office."

"Alright, thank you," I half smile before turning to walk to the elevator. Now, was that so hard for her? No. So why couldn't she have been that nice to me this morning? Ugh.

As I get out of the elevator, walking onto the fourth floor, I can't believe my eyes. Everything in the room is white and even more modern than what the lobby had been. Is that even possible? The room just looks so clean, and it doesn't even seem that Tony Stark would even work here.

"Ma'am, just take a seat, Mr. Stark will be free shortly," a woman behind a desk with a computer on the left side of the room points out and I nod my head, walking to the chairs that had been seated on the right side of the room and sit down, looking down at my hands.

Here it was. The moment I had been anticipating for years. Just a few more minutes and I'll be meeting my father. Just a few more minutes and my life could possibly change forever.

"Okay, ready for the next one," a door opens, and I lift my head to see Tony Stark standing in the doorway to one of the offices, looking at the woman behind the desk. I look over to see that she's looking at me with a smile on her face, "that's you, miss."

Standing awkwardly, I make my way over to Tony, who's looking me up and down with a frown on his face. Talk about first impressions.

"Okay, so what was your name again?" Tony asks as he leads me into his office. It was like the rest of the building. Big, roomy and modern. Nothing out of the usual for someone who can afford the good stuff. I was starting to get used to the idea that Tony likes his stuff white and modern. It gives the space that clean feeling.

"Ashlee Schwarz," I answer him as I sit down on the chair he was motioning to. He then sat behind his desk, his hands on the desk. Everything about the way he was sitting was very formal.

"Aren't you a little bit too young to come to me to ask for a sugar daddy?" He deadpans, leaning back in his chair, a little too confident about himself. Wait, what the hell did he just ask me?

"Um, excuse me?" I raise an eyebrow, looking at him in confusion, but also disgust. I couldn't believe he would ask me that. Do I not look like him at all? I thought I might've been lucky as to have some features from my father, but clearly, I do not. Well, who would want to look like Tony Stark anyway?

"Most women come to me for a relationship of some kind, you looked the type," he shrugs, glancing around his office. "What are you here for then?"

"Certainly not to be your lap dog. That would be disgusting," I frown, straightening my back before locking my eyes on his. "I've actually come here to talk to you about your family."

"My family?" His eyebrow raises in confusing, the look clearly spread across his face, "What about my family? Last I heard, they were either dead or at home with my wife."

"No, I'm talking about another family. One you ditched twenty years ago," I say without any emotion in my voice. Over the years, I had learnt to not expect the best from Tony, but I still wanted a father, and I don't think I could handle it if I received rejection instead of… I don't know, acceptance?

Tony continues to look at me as if I had antlers growing out of my head. No doubt he didn't recognise me and that he literally had no idea what I was talking about. Great. Some help on his side would've been appreciated.

"Just get to the point, I have a meeting soon," he says as he glances at his watch. Well, that's one thing I've already learnt about the man. He is not patient.

"Okay, well then. I'll just spit it out," I look at him, folding my hands together on my lap. There was no easy way to say this. I couldn't change the words around or wait any longer. I wanted to know if maybe he does still know me. Or if there's a chance for a life with my father. I mean, I wouldn't complain if he kicks me out, but I can always hope. Hope always dies at the end.

"I'm your daughter."


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update. I got carried away with other things and the motivation for this story just kind of died as I don't have my Marvel movies on hand to watch whenever I feel the motivation dying down.  
Thank you for staying with me though through my writers block! The next chapter should actually be up by next week since I already have half of it written.  
Enjoy chapter three though!

* * *

 **Chapter Three  
**

* * *

"I'm sorry. You're my what?" Tony stares at me, his pupils wide. I knew it. I knew he wouldn't believe me.

"Your daughter. Michelle Schwarz is my mother," I reply to him, trying to hold onto the tiny thread of hope that was still surging through my body. Surely I looked like my mother though. Wouldn't that be enough to convince Tony that I'm his daughter? Unless he's forgotten what she looks like, which wouldn't surprise me.

"No, I don't have children. If I did, I would know," Tony then starts to laugh, shaking his head which wounds me. What part of this was funny? "Look, I have other business to tend to, so if you don't mind," he then suddenly stands up, walking around the table towards me with an arm outstretched towards the door.

"You've got to believe me though!" I cry as I stand up, backing away from him and the door. There was no way I was going to leave this room without him believing me. I won't have it.

"And I don't. I have plenty of kids coming in here claiming to be my children. So, get out before I call security, and have you forcibly removed," he sighs, folding his arms before leaning against his desk. Wait. More kids come in here and claim to be his? What was I thinking? Of course he's not going to believe me now. I need birth certificates and everything else. There's no way he's going to believe me without any evidence. Unless…

"No. You and my mother spent a night together at your 29th birthday party, can't you remember?" I plead, watching his movements in case he does call for security. I had to use all the seconds I have left.

"Do you watch the news? I spend a lot of nights with a lot of different women. Plus, I'm always sure to use protection so mistakes like you don't happen. Now, I'm going to give you five seconds to get out of my office," he then rolls his eyes, not taking this situation seriously. I'm pretty sure I just look like a pathetic little girl in his eyes now, but it was extremely nice of him to call me a mistake.

"But you have to believe me," I frown, about to continue the story my mom told me about her fling with Tony before he reaches over the desk and pushes a button. No doubt to call security. "All right, all right. I'm going. Sorry I wasted your time," sighing, I walk towards the door and out before his security team have the time to burst into his office. There was no point in trying. I could repeat all the stories from my mother, yet I now know none of them would convince him. I needed evidence. On paper. Otherwise nobody would ever believe me. Sure, the newspaper would have a field day with what I could tell them, but I wasn't selfish enough to do that to Tony.

"Have a nice day," the lady behind the desk calls out to me as I make my way to the elevator. Ugh. Seems like Tony ever hires people with the same attitude as him. Always rude to the people that have no use to him.

In the elevator, I think about my options. I don't have many of them at the moment, but I do know that since I'm 19, I'm responsible for myself now. I don't have to worry about being put into an orphanage or worry about who my legal guardian will be. The only thing I have to worry about now is money. I don't have a job, I'm fresh out of school with a good-looking resume, but I doubt anyone would take me unless I went to university and studied a good course. I guess I could always start there. Go to university first and then just - *ding*

The elevator doors open with their usual tone, making me jump back to reality. It was only now that I realise that the elevator had gone up instead of down. As they open completely, the air is sucked from my lungs. Standing there on the other side of the elevator, laughing like there's no tomorrow is Steve Rogers and Thor Odinson in the flesh and blood. When they spot me standing there, the laughter instantly dies down.

"Oh, I didn't think the elevator would've already been occupied," Steve looks at me, confusion crossing his face.

"I uh, just went to see Mr. Stark," I squeak out, slightly intimidated by the size of these men as they step into the elevator. I thought the elevator would've gone straight down and not up. I mean, usually they always go down instead of up if you press the down button. Unless they have some sort of key that summons the elevator no matter where it is. Rude.

"That's fine. We're just heading to the gym," Steve replies as the doors close again. Of course they'd be heading to the gym. What else would they be doing with their free time? The Avengers need to stay bulked up anyway. You don't just grow muscles by sitting on the couch all day long.

It didn't take long for the elevator to make its way down and the two men had left me as quickly as they joined me. Which was fine with me. I didn't really have the energy to talk to anybody. All I wanted to do was to find a nice, cheap place to spend the night so that I can head back home tomorrow fully refreshed.

After the two superheroes had left the elevator and I was all by myself, I start thinking about my plans again. When I said I was fresh out of high school, I don't mean that I finished a few weeks ago. I actually finished last year. It was my decision to take a gap year. I wanted to explore my options a little more before getting sucked into the real world. I wanted a bit of freedom before I headed off to university, but now that's all gone downhill. My mother is now dead, my father doesn't believe me when I claim to be his daughter and I have no idea where I can stay until I head to university. That university being the University of California. It wasn't my first choice, but they were the first to get back to me and Harvard was way out of my league. Not that I wanted to study anything special anyway.

Sighing, I look around the streets. All I can do now is head to the nearest hotel and then head back home, wherever that now is, tomorrow. The only thing I could possibly do was grab my stuff from the house and move into an apartment somewhere and see how long I can manage living in the apartment before struggling to pay the bills.

It doesn't take me long to find a hotel and get a room to settle in for the night. There was no doubt that I would be spending the next few weeks in a hotel room. Whether the hotel was here or in California, it would be a hotel. Just until I get myself sorted out though and find a place to stay permanently.

Once I walk into the room I've booked for the night, my phone suddenly goes off in my pocket, making me jump. Sighing softly, I take my phone out and look at the caller ID, surprised to see Lily's name on the screen.

"Lily?" I ask in disbelief as I answer the phone.

"Hey Ashlee! How are you? I haven't heard from you in a while. I was starting to get worried about you," her voice comes through the phone, making me smile. It was true. It had been a while since I had contacted Lily.

"Hey, yeah, I'm good. I'm okay I guess. I'm sorry I haven't made contact lately. Things have been pretty hectic around here lately. How's uni?" I reply to her, trying to stay calm throughout it all.

"Oh, uni is amazing. I still can't believe you're not here with me. We'd be having such a ball if you did!" She laughs, and I can imagine her shaking her head while she's at it. "We'd be getting drunk and having fun with all of these good-looking men. Really though, they're actually men. There's no room here for boys. It's heaven!"

I laugh softly at the statement, trying to cover up my emotions. How can I possibly think about getting drunk when my mom just died because of alcohol, "yeah, yeah that does sound great. Ugh, what I'd do to get laid right now."

"Nice try, liar. I can hear it in your voice. There's no way you agree with me on that," Lily laughs again and I sigh. That was the good thing about Lily and I. We knew when the other one was lying, and that came in handy every now and then. Although, now I wish she didn't know me all that well.

"Sorry, Lil, I guess I'm just tired and alcohol just doesn't appeal to me right now," I give in, looking around the room. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small either. It was just right, but boy did it stink or what.

"Tired? That doesn't sound like you. What's going on?" Lily asks, concern raising in her voice.

"I, um… I'm in New York," I frown, sitting on the armrest of the couch.

"You're what?! What the hell, Ash, your mum would never let you leave California! What did you do to escape her?"

"Lily… she's…she's dead..," I groan and let myself slide onto the couch. Lily will find out sooner or later anyway about my mom. Might as well just tell her now while I'm on the other side of the country and miles away from a friend and a hug.

"Ha. Nice try. Try again," Lily scoffs and I sigh, rubbing my face with my free hand.

"Mom got drunk," frowning, I decide to tell Lily the whole story of what happened last night. I leave out no detail, and as soon as eleven o'clock came around, I tell Lily that I'm tired and that I want to go to bed. She hesitantly agrees and says goodnight, making me promise to call her again when I get the next chance. After that, I get up and make my way to the bedroom.

As soon as I collapsed onto the bed, I could feel the fatigue taking over. It had after all been an eventful past few days. Sleeping wasn't really on the planner either. Worrying about where I would stay and what I would do was keeping me up and alert at every second. Though the sleep didn't take over my body, instead tears did. They had piled themselves within me, threating to spill, and now they were.

Everything hit me at once. My mother is dead. My father doesn't even know that I exist and doesn't believe me. My house is a crime scene and is off limits, and I have nowhere to go. My whole life I thought I had it all, and now that's all been torn away from me within a matter of hours.

I continue to cry, grabbing a pillow to try to comfort myself. I couldn't even ask Google to help me through my life.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

 _"Ashlee, trust me, you don't need to know who your father is."_

 _"Yes, I do, mom!" I yelled back at my mom, about to throw one of my tantrums. I was after all a very stubborn seven-year-old and mom was once again refusing to tell me who my father was. I mean, I had hints of who he could be but mom never wanted to tell me. I never knew why she didn't want to tell me. Maybe it was because they had bad history, but that's no reason to keep a child from her father, is it?_

 _"Fine. I'll tell you about him, but only because I want you to know that he's a jerk for having left us like he did," she sighed, grabbing one of her bottles of beer before getting herself comfortable on the couch and patting the seat beside her, inviting me to sit next to her. With a small smile, I climbed onto the couch beside her and looked up at her with big eyes._

 _It wasn't the first time I had heard her mention my father. Though she never did mention him to me. It was always in a conversation with her best friend, Rose, the one who always smelled of smoke and alcohol. I never liked Rose. It was horrible having to be in the same building as her whenever mom decided to invite her over, but of course I had no say in whoever mom invited over. It was, as she had claimed many times before, her house and I had no say in who does what or who comes over._

 _"Alright, well, I don't know how much attention you pay to the news, but if you've ever heard of the name 'Tony Stark'," she began with a sneer, taking a sip from her beer as she glared at the TV in front of us, "that would be him. Your father. Playboy prick. I thought it was true love at first sight, but Ashlee, do your mother a favour and never ever fall in love with a guy on first sight. It will never do you any good. They'll only take you to bed, get you pregnant and leave you with a child without having any intention of seeing you ever again."_

 _"That doesn't really say a lot about my dad," I looked at her, pouting. This information wasn't new to me. I knew Tony Stark had left my mother and I. Mom always seemed to repeat that part to Rose, and Rose somehow never got tired of hearing it._

 _"But it does sweetie," mom smiled weakly, glancing at me before focusing on the TV again. "It tells you that you cannot trust your father. Although I have no plans of you ever meeting him. You don't need him in your life. You have me, and that's all you'll ever need."_

A knock sounds at the door, waking me from my dream. I hadn't even realised I had dozed off until I was opening my eyes, shielding them from the sun that was streaming in from the curtains. The person knocks again, and I groan, slowly getting up from the bed, "I'm coming!" I call out, slowly making my way to the door. Who even knows that I'm here? I'm staying at a hotel because the house got taped off for investigations and they're taking their time and as far as I'm concerned, nobody knows that I'm here. I didn't tell anyone that I was here. Not even Lily.

"What?" I say as I open the door, only to be greeted by the man who claimed I didn't have anything related to him at all. "T-Tony?"

"That's how you greet me? Most people go with 'Mr Stark,'" Tony smiles at me as if yesterday never even happened. Wait. What?

"Um… can I help you?" I ask him, glancing over my shoulder at the apartment before looking back at him. I knew the answer to my own question. No, I couldn't help the man. I had nothing he wanted, and he obviously couldn't help me out.

"Yes, you can. You can invite me in to your make shift home," he glances over my shoulder then back at me, an eyebrow rising.

"Oh, right, yeah, come in," I step awkwardly to the side, allowing him to walk in which he does without wasting a second. What could he possibly want from me?

"Thank you. I've brought some good news with me," he says as he walks around the room slowly, taking in his surroundings.

"What good news?" I sigh, closing the door then folding my arms. What the hell does he want? Nothing this man says could possibly be good news. Unless he's come with an intervention order. That could maybe be good news. Means I'd never have to deal with him again.

"I um, well, this isn't a start for me, but I'm admitting to being wrong," he stops in the middle of the room and looks at me. "I talked to Jarvis and Happy and it turns out, your story is actually true. You're my daughter and I had a one-night stand with your mother, Michelle, nineteen years ago."

I stare at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. Was I even hearing him right? Did he just admit to being wrong and that I hadn't lied to him at all? That sounds impossible. "But… how?" I manage to ask, curious as to how he came to this conclusion.

"Well, I had Jarvis set up automatic bank transfers to your mother on a monthly basis and after a while I forgot. After you left my office, I asked Jarvis – "

"Who's Jarvis?" I interrupt him, curious as to who this man was that seems to have knocked the truth into Tony.

"My AI. Anyway," he continues, a slight look of annoyance on his face. The man still doesn't like to be interrupted. Fair enough. "He told me about the automatic bank transfers and that you weren't lying about who you were."

"Wait, are you serious?" I frown, still confused. Is he seriously telling me that he forgot about the plan he had with my mother? That he never noticed the missing money in his account and that he never even bothered to ask where it was all going?

"Yes, I'm serious. I know, it was immature of me to not keep tabs on you or your mother, but back then I was a different man. I didn't have much care for those around me, and I just wanted to forget about your mother and I didn't want anyone knowing you existed," he says not so proudly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Clearly this wasn't something for him to so easily admit, but he was, and it was kind of shocking me. This wasn't exactly the Tony Stark I had come to know through the media.

"O-kay, so what are you doing here then?" I ask him, wishing that I could just push him out of this room and forget he ever existed. I mean, after all, he did just say that to my face, didn't he? That he wished long ago that I didn't exist? Funny how tables can turn.

"Well, like I said, I came to apologise, and I also wanted to ask you if you'd like to move to New York and start over fresh here, being as your mother is um-" he pauses, looking away from me.

"Dead," I finish for him, sighing as he cringes slightly at the word. It hurt, a lot, thinking about how my mom was no longer with us and that my home wasn't the best place to be right now. "But I don't see how you could expect me to just drop everything in California and come live here in New York. I don't know anybody here, and I don't think the media would take to you having a long lost daughter," I roll my eyes at my last statement, imagining how the paparazzi would have a field trip if they found out about me.

"I know it can't be easy for you right now, but I've thought about it all night and I'm willing to make up for the lost time and help you to get back on your feet so that you can have the life that you deserved without having anything held back from you."

I was about to agree to it all, but his wording forces me to stop and rethink about his offer, "'deserved'? What do you mean?"

"I read about your mother. I looked into her files. I read her medical reports, and I wouldn't exactly giver her the award for Best Mother of the Year," he shruggs, looking as if he wasn't the worst father of the year either.

"Well, I'm sure she would've said the same thing about you, Tony Stark," I cross my arms, looking at him in anger. How dare he say that? Sure, mom wasn't the best mom in the world, but she tried, and that's more than I can say for Tony's attempts.

"Okay, that didn't come out right," he took a step back, holding his hands up in defence. "I'm sorry that didn't come out right, what I meant was that you can have such a better life than the one you're currently living in California. I've read your school reports. I may have even hacked into the school's files and read your exams myself. Truth is, Ashlee, you take after me. I can see potential in your studies. You could be great-"

"I don't want to be great!" I interrupt him, throwing my hands up in defeat. I knew what he was getting at. My teachers had said the same thing to me a while back. I had shown potential in maths and science, but I just wasn't interested. I wasn't interested in a life filled with numbers and equations.

"But Ashlee," he tried, but I stomp my foot on the ground like a child, trying to get him to stop.

"Don't 'but Ashlee' me! I don't want to be like you. I don't want to have a career in the science division. I don't want to be out until 3am, hitting on the nearest guy because I'm lonely in my big home. I want a normal life. I want friends and people who I can trust! I want my mom!" I scream at him, tears brimming in my eyes. It wasn't until I felt the contact that I had realised I was suddenly in Tony's arms, being comforted because I was crying. I didn't think losing my mom would have this sort of an effect on me.

"I didn't say you had to be like me," Tony says gently, kissing the top of my head while holding me close. "I was just saying that you could do so much more to help this world."

"I want to work with animals," I sob into his shirt, not caring whether or not I was getting it wet. It was true though, I had always had a soft spot for animals. I would've had a dog too if it wasn't for mom being allergic to them, but she was, and I had no dog.

"Animals, ey? I guess we could work with that too," he chuckles softly and I pull back, looking up at him. Was Tony really being nice to me? Did it only take a blood related person for Tony to stop being such a jerk and care about others? It seemed impossible. This couldn't be right. "Come on, come back with me to the Tower and we can sort something out, and if you still want to go back to Cali by the end of the day, then I'll pay for your plane ticket and I'll help you from the distance unless you don't want my help," Tony smiles softly, wiping my tears away with his thumb.

The only thing I could do was nod. It had been a while since I had been comforted like this. I couldn't even remember the last time my mom had comforted me like this. Surely it was more than ten years ago. Once she hit the booze, she never really cared for me whenever I cried. Me crying had only gotten her angry and she would end up shouting at me, expecting that her shouting would make me stop crying. It never did. Instead, she threw me outside and locked me there until I had stopped crying. That taught me to build up walls and to not let myself feel so emotion, but these past few days brought down those walls, and I was bound to cry at every little thing.

"Alright, let's go then, and if you're lucky, you might be able to see the team," he glances around the room, grabbing my backpack off of the coffee table where I had dropped it last night then took my hand, walking out of the hotel room with me.


	6. Chapter 5

Hey everyone! I'm sorry it takes me, like, weeks at a time to update this story, but believe me, I'm not done writing it. So stick with me and together we'll eventually come to an end! Also, thank you to those who are still reading this story, and I'm sorry in advance if this chapter isn't as good, but it will get better in the next chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

* * *

"Okay, so you'll have to find something to do for a bit, I have something I need to finish up. Once I've done that, I'll come and get you and take you home," Tony says as he exits the elevator with me walking behind him with my backpack. I didn't really like myself for having gone with Tony so easily, but he had me when I was vulnerable. Could you blame me?

"Um, okay," I frown slightly as I watch him walk off towards his office before glancing around the big room. What was there for me to do? My phone was now dead, I didn't have a charger, leaving the building probably wouldn't go down well with Tony since somehow I had the feeling he was happy about having me here. The latter making no sense to me at all. How could Tony go from being horrible to me, to suddenly caring about me? What had this mysterious Jarvis and Happy say to him to make him change his mind?

With a sigh, I head over to the couch by the window and sit down, placing my backpack beside me on the couch.

"Back again so soon?" The voice makes me look back towards the elevator, seeing that I was no longer alone on the big floor.

"I uh, yeah," I stutter, not quite sure how to speak to a Captain. Sure, respect would be in order, but how much respect?

"Didn't you get what you want from Tony?" That Captain being Steve Rogers says as he walks on over to where I am. I hadn't exactly expected to be seeing any of the Avengers any time soon. I thought I'd see them all within a week or so, and certainly not straight away. Then again, this was their tower, but I had a feeling this was Tony's level, and that the others never really came up here.

"I guess so," I shrug slightly, sitting up properly on the couch, trying to show some grace towards the Captain. It wasn't every day you had the chance to make an impression on someone this famous.

"You guess so? That doesn't sound very convincing," he raises an eyebrow, folding his arms. Well, there goes my posture. This man is a little bit too intimidating for my liking. With everything that I've heard about this guy on the news, I wouldn't exactly want to get on his bad side.

"Yeah, well, it's a long story," I sigh and turn my head to look out the window. Captain America didn't need to know why I was here. Not yet anyway. Unless of course this place Tony was talking about is somehow the place where all of the Avengers lived, and if it was, I might just have an issue when it comes to relaxing.

"I've got time," I feel the couch shift and I look back towards him, seeing him smiling at me. Um. Okay. I barely knew the guy, and here he was basically asking me for all the juicy details on my life.

"I don't," I scoff and pull my backpack onto my lap, hoping that it would look like I'm not interested in talking to him and that he would get the message and move on.

"Steve, c'mere," Tony suddenly appears in the doorway to his office, with his arms folded, looking slightly annoyed with either of us. Whether it was with Steve or myself, I couldn't be sure, but it might've been with me. I mean, after all, I wasn't exactly showing love towards his work colleague.

"I'll see you later, Ashlee," Steve gets up, patting my shoulder then walks over and disappears into Tony's office with him, leaving me staring at the door. He knew my name. But I didn't… did I? No. I didn't tell him my name. How did he know my name?

Frantically, I look over my backpack, looking for signs of how he could've possibly known my name, but I don't find any. It's not like I could've had a name tag anyway. The spelling of my name wasn't the most common way of how to spell Ashlee and so there were barely any souvenirs out in the world that had my name on it. So how did he know my name then?! Unless…maybe Tony told him about me? But he wouldn't do that, would he? Surely he wouldn't go and tell everyone about me without telling me first…

"Are you just going to sit there this whole time? Tony won't be finished for another few hours," the blonde receptionist finally spoke up, even though I had forgotten that she was there.

"Well, I don't know what else to do," I look at her and frown, letting my backpack slide to the floor in defeat. I would have to ask Tony later as to how Steve could've possibly known my name. Sure, I knew his, but only because his picture was plastered everywhere whenever the world was in danger, and if you're lucky, you could even see him in museums now and then, where they would do a full background check on the man, sharing information with the world that I'm sure everyone would rather keep to themselves.

"You can always go for a walk. Tony has meetings till four. So you'd be sitting there for quite a while if you decide to not do anything," she laughs softly, shaking her head as if she was talking to the worlds biggest idiot. Gee, thanks.

"I'm not really one to go for walks, I'll just wait here, thanks," I sigh and look down at the floor. I knew I should go out and not sit here like an idiot, probably scaring whoever Tony had appointments with, but there was no point in going outside when I didn't really feel up to exploring New York.

"Fine. At least go into that office over there so I don't have to look at you all day long," the lady motions towards one of the rooms with her head, rolling her eyes at the same time. I seem to be getting the knack of annoying people within a small amount of time.

"Okay, sorry," I grab my backpack and head into the room she was talking about. She did have a point. I shouldn't just sit in the open when others were probably going to see me. Better not have a bad influence on Tony.

Sitting down at the large table that was in the middle of the room, I look around, seeing nothing that was out of the ordinary for an office. A bunch of chairs, a laptop at the head of the table, meant for whatever presentation was going to be presented, and the massive window that holds the most breath-taking view of the city.

Standing up again, I walk over to the window and look out over the city. "Wow," I whisper to myself, taking in the view. New York City was a piece of art from above. It was beautiful. I would've thought that California and Los Angeles were something special, but they were nothing compared to New York City. The buildings were all tall, and I could even see some rooftop gardens from where I'm standing. Huh. Rooftop gardens. How cute. Suppose you have to try everything you can in a big city to try and use up all the space as smartly as possible.

I was just about to sit back down again when I heard a faint knock on the door. It was so faint that I didn't even think that it was knocking on the door to this office. It only took a few seconds before the door opened and Steve popped his head into the room, smiling at me softly. "Hey, Tony mentioned you're going to be stuck here for a few hours waiting for him. Do you want me to take you to his place?"

Okay, so that settles it. Tony likes to talk. A lot. "Uh, sure, why not. Beats sitting in here all day long," I sigh and grab my backpack, walking towards the door as he opens it more. At least I no longer have to ask the man where he knew my name from. It's clear Tony has told Steve everything there is to know about me.

"I'm Steve, by the way," he holds out his hand as I step out of the room and stop as I notice he isn't making a move.

"Oh, yeah I know, you're like…all over the news," I laugh awkwardly and take his hand, cringing slightly as his hand grips mine a little too hard for comfort.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to. I forget sometimes that not everybody can handle my handshakes," Steve notices my cringing and is quick to let go, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. Awh. How cute!

"It's fine," I smile slightly, rubbing some feeling back into my hand. "It's understandable anyway. I mean, you are the Super Soldier."

"That's true," I hear him sigh before he heads off towards the elevator with me in tow. Maybe Steve doesn't like being the Super Soldier anymore? Who knows, maybe even the paparazzi is getting all too much for him.

"So, where does Tony live anyway?" I ask him as we step into the elevator. The receptionist didn't even notice us. Either that or she was too busy gawking at the Captain. The latter I could completely understand. The man was amazing in person. There was nothing that was off about him. Perfect arms, perfect eyes, probably even perfect underneath all his clothing. Not that I had begun to wonder about how he would look without clothing on or anything.

"He lives just on the outskirts of New York, where it's slightly more greener and quieter," he looks down at me, holding his hands folded in front of him.

"Where it's greener and quieter?" I raise an eyebrow, looking at our reflections on the elevator door. I did not notice them before, and boy do I now feel small standing next to Steve or what. He's looming over me by nearly a whole foot! I'm used to feeling small. Being 5'5" wasn't the best height, it was average, I guess, but guys would still be way taller than me, and standing next to Steve was close to being intimidated just by height because of all his extra muscle as well!

"Yeah. He wanted Pepper to live somewhere where she wouldn't have so much stress," he smiles, clearly lost in thought. Ah yes, Tony and Pepper. I heard about them while I was doing my research. Apparently, they've been together for a good while now, and now that he's brought that up, it feels like I'm intruding on Tony and Pepper's love life.

"That's um, understandable, I guess," I frown slightly, but just as I caught Steve looking at my reflection in the mirrored door, the doors slide open, revealing the garage of the Avengers Tower.

Without another word, Steve heads out of the elevator, leaving me to do nothing else but to follow him.

It was a quiet ride to Tony's house. Quiet and long. Being a billionaire, I thought Tony would've had a house within New York. Or a penthouse at most, but he didn't. Steve wasn't joking when he said Tony had brought a house somewhere quieter and greener. The house was beautiful as I saw it when Steve drove into the driveway.

It was white, which made it look clean. Only one floor, no double stories here. It looked as if the windows were all bay style. The bushes were all trimmed and looking like they were fed and taken well care of. The grass was a luscious green. There was a swing set out the front which made me question Tony's hobbies, and the porch seemed to wrap around the whole house, which was something I loved about houses.

"You never mentioned he lived on a farm," I glance at Steve as I unbuckle myself and slowly get out of the car, looking around at the place. It might as well have been a farm. Even if there were no animals.

"Yeah, he took a page out of one of the other Avengers' books and decided that this was the place for him and his family," I hear the car door open then close again with Steve walking up beside me.

"'His family'?"

"Tony didn't tell you? He has a daughter with Pepper."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

* * *

"Wait… sorry, what was that? Tony has a daughter… with Pepper?" I look at Steve, wishing that I heard the man wrong. How can Tony not tell me that he has another kid? How does the news not even know of this kid, and how is it not plastered everywhere I read about Tony?

"He didn't tell you?" Steve makes eye contact, and I can see the regret in his eyes. Clearly, he didn't want to be the one telling me. That makes two of us. "Oh, um… I'll just-"

"Steve? Is that you?" A voice came from the house and we both turn to have a look who it was. Though it wasn't hard to guess that it was Pepper.

"Hey Pepper," Steve lifts a hand in greeting with a smile on his face.

"Tony didn't tell me you were coming by," I can tell that her eyebrow was raised as she came closer to us, her lips raised in a smile, despite the raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I just came to drop off Ashlee, then I was going to head back to the tower," he shrugs, glancing at me then back at Pepper. Something was telling me that Pepper didn't know who I was. Like Tony had yet to tell his own wife about his other child.

"Ashlee?" Her smile fades as she looks from Steve to me.

"Hi, I'm Ashlee," I try to smile as I hold out my hand for her to shake which she takes. Her grip wasn't as tight as Steve's, but it wasn't a comfortable shake either. The tension was all in the air.

"Pepper," she nods as she releases my hand then looks back at Steve, "so what's going on?"

"I am… going to let Tony or Ashlee explain that one to you," Steve grins innocently before turning and heading back to his car. Coward. Then again, I guess I would do the same thing if I was in his position. It's not really his family, is it?

"Explain what?" Pepper turns her eyes back onto me and I swallow hard. What if this didn't go well? What if she accuses me of making everything up just to get to Tony and his money?

With a deep exhale, I adjust my backpack on my shoulder and look down at the ground, "Tony didn't tell you that he has a nineteen-year-old daughter?"

As the car was brought to life, the air was filled with laughter. Frowning, I look up to see Pepper laughing as if she couldn't breathe anymore. As if this was better than being accused of.

"Right. Okay, if you were Tony's daughter," ah here we go. See. Knew it, "he would have told me. Tony doesn't keep secrets from me. So if you don't mind, Tony's real daughter is waiting inside for me to get back to her. I can however call you a taxi."

"No, don't. I'll be fine. I'll get home some other way," I sigh and turn on my heel, walking back down the driveway. I don't see the point of trying to convince Pepper. If Tony hadn't told her, then there's something wrong with him, and I don't understand how he can possibly just allow Steve to take me to his place and expect me to be welcomed with open arms if he hadn't told Pepper about me.

"I cannot believe Tony hasn't told Pepper about me," I mumble to myself as I exit the driveway and walk down the street. Great. Tony living in the middle of nowhere is helpful. God knows how long it'll take me now to get me somewhere. It just wasn't fair. How can Tony just not tell Pepper about me? Especially if Steve was taking me to his place. Surely, somebody would have told Pepper about me and not just leave her in the dark?

A few minutes later, I reach a busy street. Well, at least I can try to get a taxi to someplace else to spend the night. Ugh, why did I ever leave the hotel room? If I had stayed there, I wouldn't be in this dilemma now, and I certainly wouldn't have to be looking for a way to get to the nearest hotel. Just have to hope that Tony doesn't find me this time round. (If they're not near a larger city, she'd have to call a taxi company, instead of hail one)

A taxi ride and $150 later, I'm in yet again another hotel room. This one is just off the border of New York City. I didn't feel like paying too much for the taxi and the hotel room. I mean, I still have to buy a plane ticket to get back to California.

Sighing, I drop my backpack on the ground and collapse onto the couch. I'm exhausted from being pushed around only to be rejected. There's just no point in me sticking around and trying to mend my relationship with Tony. If he had wanted me in his life, then I'm sure he would've told Pepper about me, wouldn't he? Ugh. Why are men so hard to understand? I grab my phone and check the time: 6:35p.m. Alright, just a few more minutes and then I can go get some food and then settle in for the night.

Another hour later, I'm lying in the bed of the hotel room I've booked for just tonight, thinking about my plans for tomorrow. The first thing I should do is try to get back to California. It'll be interesting to see if my bank account even allows a plane ticket. Surely I'm nearly all out of money now with all the taxi rides and the hotels, but what do I do after that? Maybe I should try and get access to Mom's account. If I can get into her account, I'll have enough money to rent an apartment for a while and I can get a job. It's not an ideal plan, but it's something, right?

With a groan, I turn onto my side, looking out of the window that was nicely planned beside the bed. Everything is going to be much harder now.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

"What the?" I raise an eyebrow, looking towards the door. "I didn't order any room service," I mumble to myself as I cautiously get up from the bed and make my way to the door.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK* (maybe change this to a line about getting a knock on the door. Writing out the sounds comes across as less polished imo)

Okay. Do I really want to answer the door now? I stop short of the door, looking at it. Room service isn't exactly impatient, they'd only knock the door once?

"Ashlee, it's me. C'mon open up. I know you're in there."

You have got to be kidding me?! How the hell did Tony find me?!

"Um, how about no?" I answer him, keeping my distance from the door. I can't believe he found me. How is this even possible? I didn't even use my real name to book the room! I had to make sure I left no clue for him if he was to set out to find me. That is how sick I am of his issues.

"Ash, c'mon. Please. I'm sorry I didn't tell Pepper," his voice sounds sorrow through the door, but there was no way I was going with him anymore.

"No, Tony. You screwed up. You had your chance to tell Pepper and you didn't, which left me looking like an idiot on her doorstep! Go away!" I yell at the door, turning on my heels and facing away from the door with my hands folded across my chest, as if he could see me.

"Ashlee, it's partially my fault. I should've stayed and helped explain the situation to Pepper," another voice sounds from behind the barrier. This one I recognise as Steve's. Tony must be that desperate to keep me in his life if he brought Steve with him?

"Just go away. I don't want to talk to you," I sigh and walk away from the door. I didn't want to speak to either of them. I'm just fed up of all these circles and I just want to do me without having to worry about people knowing about me or not.

"Ashlee, if you don't let us in, I will make Steve break down this door," I scoff at Tony's words, hearing Steve mumble to him that he won't break down the door.

Looks like I'm safe from the Super Soldier. Shaking my head, I walk to the couch and pick up my backpack from where I left it last night. Tony can break in if he wants to, but there's no way I'm staying here.

An hour later, I find myself at the ticket counter at the airport. It was hard getting past Tony and Steve, but I yelled at them and Steve held Tony back while I stormed off in search for a taxi. I kind of feel sorry for Steve though. He has to put up with whatever whining Tony was doing, but I just don't understand the sudden interest in me from Tony. It makes no sense. First, he didn't even know I existed, well, he forgot I existed, and now he doesn't want me to leave? It's confusing to me. I suppose that's why I've got to go home. To get some space. To clear my mind. To think straight.

With a small sigh, I take my ticket from the lady and thank her before taking off towards the terminal. That was also the last of my money. I now have no more money to spend on taxis and hotels.

It's been a fun ride though here in New York. I don't know if I'll ever come back. If I'll ever have the –

All of a sudden, my phone starts going off, breaking my train of thought and making me jump. Hopefully nobody saw that. I pull my phone out and look at the caller ID, sighing in relief when it doesn't come up with Tony's name, but Lily's instead.

"Hey, what's up?" I say into the phone, stopping short of the terminal and looking around at all the rushing people around me.

"Hey, Ashlee, I just wanted you to know that I've dropped out of college. I'm coming back to you and we can live together!" her voice seems happy and –

"What?!" I reply in shock, quickly looking away from the people who are now looking at me with frowns on their faces.

"Yep. College wasn't fun anyway. There were only guys to worry about. The classes were boring. It's more fun if I'm at college with you, which I'm not, so I made up my mind. I'll join you on your gap year," Lily giggles and I can hear her grinning through the phone.

"Lily... I'm not so sure that's a good idea," I sigh, running my free hand through my hair. It really wasn't a good idea.

"C'mon Ash. Your mom just died. Lemme come live with you for a while. We can have fun every day, get jobs and whatnot. It'll be fun!"

Okay, so maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. That does sound like fun. I mean, who gets to live with their best friend and party whenever the hell the want? Lily would probably also help me get over this terrible mistake that I made in coming to New York, and maybe one day I'll even laugh about how ridiculous I was.

"Yeah, sure. Okay," I say after a while, a small smile creeping onto my face. This couldn't go wrong, could it? "I'm currently at JFK so I'll be back in a few hours."

"Yay! I've already got a place set up for us, so I'll text you the address and then you can just come straight to our new place once you land!" The excitement was clear in her voice and I held back a laugh, worried about more weird looks from passer-byers.

"Alright. I'll see you soon then, okay?"

"Bye, Ash! Love you!" I can picture her smiling like an idiot when the line goes dead. Her smile can be contagious at times, even in horrible situations.

With a smile, I pocket my phone and make my way to the terminal again. This whole Tony Stark chapter of my life has closed, and I'm opening a new book with new possibilities with Lily back where I belong.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

It has been two months since I moved in with Lily, into our newplace. It's a great apartment. With two bedrooms and a spacious lounge, it's big enough for both of us plus more. The floor plan is open, so the kitchen is adjacent to the lounge room, which is something I've always loved about apartments. It even has an amazing view as it's on the 12th floor. I don't know how Lily managed to get us an apartment on the 12th floor of a building with our income, but we got it, and I'm loving her for it. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better roommate, let alone a better home. I mean, I thought it would be tough living with Lily since she likes to bring home guys and whatnot, but I've noticed that she doesn't do that as often as she used to. I feel like I kind of play a role in that because I don't feel comfortable with strange men in the house, but either way, I'm glad there's mutual respect.

Since we moved in a couple months ago, it's been going well. I've barely heard from Tony, but he's made sure that he keeps in contact. At first, he contacted me every day for a whole week, but I told him he needed to back off or I'd block his number. I know that that's useless against him, because he'll just easily get another number and try again, but he listened, and so we only talk once a week now, well, for now that is. I know he wants to talk more. I'm starting to feel like he feels mad at himself because he left me as a child, and that he feels as if he needs to make up for that, and I get it, but I just don't want him being too clingy.

I'm minding my own business at work when suddenly, Bradley pops up out of nowhere, situating himself in front of me on a chair, grabbing the salt and pepper shakers to play with. "Okay, so like, do you actually even do anything here? Or do you just stand there looking pretty for all the customers to glare at?" He asks with a straight expression.

"Well, I mean, there's not much to do except making coffee for the customers and cleaning the tables," I reply with a roll of my eyes, grabbing a cloth and start to wipe down the counter.

Ever since I got back from New York, I started looking for a job. I didn't want to sit at home doing nothing, and as I expected, I landed this job as a waiter in a cute little café not far from my new home. However, with the job came Bradley. He works for the mechanic that's just across the street from the café. I wasn't too keen on him in the first place as he seemed a bit on the weird side and I just didn't want any of that, but he grew on me. Eventually. He even grew on Lily which is a shocker, considering all guys she meets, she usually takes straight to bed, but she hasn't touched Bradley yet. Yet. Whether it was his attitude or good looks that repulsed her, we'll never know.

"Ah, yes. The maid's job," he says with a chuckle, but winces as I hit him over the head with the cloth.

"I'm not a maid. I make coffees and serve cookies as well," I roll my eyes again, going back to wiping down the counter.

"And yet you could be living the dream life. Oh what women do to feel independent," he shakes his head with a chuckle. You see, apart from Lily, Bradley is the only one who knows who my father is. I mean, I sure as hell am NOT going to go scream it at the top of my lungs on California's tallest building. That's just not me, and besides, with Tony comes paparazzi, and I'd rather avoid that.

"Dude, if you don't shut it, I'll get Macy to throw you out and never allow you back in," I sigh, walking over to the sink and rinsing the cloth before hanging it up to dry.

"Not my fault," he says innocently.

Bradley and I haven't been friends for that long, maybe a few weeks or so, but our friendship seems like it's been there all along. I don't know how he did it, but he warmed to me quickly, even though I would've rather run in the opposite direction.

It started on my second week of work, when I left for home and he came up to me.

" _Hey, hi, your name is Ashlee, right?" A tall, dark haired guy asks as he approaches me as I exit the café, having just finished my shift for the day._

 _Uh, wait, what? Why does he want to know who I am? And what kind of a guy just approaches a random girl on the streets?_

 _With a frown, I keep my distance from him, "Who's asking?"_

" _Name's Bradley. I work at the mechanic across the street," he replies with a smile, holding out his hand to shake._

" _Do I know you?" I raise an eyebrow, but shake his hand, not wanting to seem completely rude. Even though a tiny voice in my head is telling me to run. Either that or Tony must've sent him to keep an eye on me. I mean, that would explain how he knows my name, wouldn't it?_

" _No, you don't. Sorry," he chuckles, flashing a breathtakingly white smile. Wow. I don't think I've ever seen such a pristine set of teeth on a guy before who wasn't starring in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. "It's just that I've seen you around the café. You've even served me once." Okay, Tony must be behind this._

" _Oh, right, yeah um, I don't remember most of the people I serve, sorry," I say with a shrug, but not really meaning it._

" _Yeah, I gathered that. I'm sorry… it's just…" he goes quiet, rubbing the back of his neck._

" _Just what..?" I press, wanting to know what this guys deal is._

" _I… er… wanted to see if maybe you'd like to… um… go out on a date with me," he finishes, trying to hold my gaze._

 _I couldn't hold it in. The laugh just escaped from my lips. I don't even know the guy! Was he seriously asking me out on a date?_

" _Dude, no way! I've never even seen you before and having been served once doesn't count. No way!" I say to him, trying to take control of my laughter, quietening down a little bit. Though I could tell by the look on his face that I have most likely just hurt his feelings. "Look, I'm not currently looking for a boyfriend, but I guess it won't hurt if we go someplace to eat or something."_

 _His smile returns to his face as his says, "Yeah, I'd like that."_

" _Okay, good. We'll see how things go from there," I smile back at him, wondering how I can subtly ask this guy if he's working for Tony or not._

"Hey, Earth to Ashlee!" A voice pulls me from my daydreaming and I nearly knock a cup off the counter.

"Huh, what?" I look up, pushing the cup back to where it was. "Sorry, I was just thinking," I sigh softly then lean against the counter, looking around the customers that are going about their daily lives.

"I can tell. Everything okay?" He asks with a raised eyebrow and I nod my head, not really wanting to talk about what was really on my mind, and that would be Tony.

"Table three, Ash," my colleague, Josie, walks up to me with a tray of drinks, handing it over.

"Got it," I nod my head again, taking the tray and walk out from behind the counter, not looking at Bradley as he watches at me with concern. I should be happy. I've got a roof over my head, I've got a job and I've got money, but yet something feels like it's still missing.

"Cappuccino and latte macchiato," I say as I approach table three with a smile, setting the drinks down on the table.

"Thanks, Ash," Sasha, one of our regulars says as I nod my head and make my way back to the counter. Sasha was here nearly every day. She'll most likely pop in at around lunch time with one of her colleagues, always ordering the same drink for herself and whatever her colleague would want that day.

"Okay, something is wrong. What is it"? Bradley asks as I take up my spot behind the counter again.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired and ready to go home," I smile at him, trying to put on my best everything's-okay-face.

"Hmm, alright, well, I gotta get back to work. I'll see you after my shift," he smiles and reaches over to ruffle my head before getting up.

"Okay, see you tonight," I sigh softly, watching as he gives me one last, thoughtful look before turning and making his way out of the shop.

"Honestly, I don't see how you can be 'just friends' with him. He really is something," Josie says as she sidles up beside me with a grin on her face, watching Bradley walk out the door.

"Josie, we're just friends," I say with a laugh, nudging her gently. "There's nothing more to it."

"Of cooourse there isn't," she laughs, hitting me with her cloth. "He's practically perfect for you, Ash. Twenty-five, good-looking, financially stable- "

"Wait, how do you know he's financially stable?" I look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, he comes in sometimes when you're not working, and we talk," Josie smirks at me, winking.

"Okay, don't you have work to do?" I frown, pushing her towards the till with the awaiting customer. "I'm going to take the trash out," I say as I walk over to the bins, glad for some distraction.

I've never thought of Bradley any more than just a friend. That's all he was to me anyway, well, maybe even a brother sometimes. I didn't want more from Bradley. Besides, I feel that sometimes he might just be a little too much for me.

A few hours later, Bradley meets me outside the café with his truck idling in the parking lot, "hey Sunshine, lets go."

"I am not your sunshine," I roll my eyes, climbing into the passenger side of the truck and throwing my handbag onto the floor of the truck.

"Oh I dunno about that. I think you are," he chuckles before reversing out of the parking lot. "You're a ray of sunshine!"

"Okay, stop, or I'm jumping out of this truck," I laugh, putting on my sunglasses and looking out the window and he puts the truck into gear and drives off down the road.


End file.
